Posted on 02/14/2008 2:14:33 PM PST by smoothsailing
Ronald Reagan Would Back McCain
By Michael Reagan
Thursday, February 14, 2008
In 1976 the Ford vs. Reagan campaign for the Republican presidential nomination got so heated it looked as if my father and Jerry Ford would never again talk to one another.
When it was over and Ford had won, what did Ronald Reagan do? He simply went all-out to help Ford win his re-election, as did I and as did my sister Maureen. My dad simply followed his rule of backing the Republican candidate no matter who he was.
Assuming that John McCain will be the Republican nominee, you can bet my father would be itching to get out on the campaign trail working to elect him even if he disagreed with him on a number of issues.
Unlike my father, a lot of conservatives stayed home in 1976, and we got four years of Jimmy Carter, whose main legacy was to drive the Shah of Iran from power and create the Islamic Republic of Iran with a bunch of wild-eyed mullahs running the show. He also gave us 20 percent inflation and long, long lines at the gas pumps. And don't forget 440 days of Americans held hostage by the mullahs.
By staying home those conservatives made possible the future election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
We are still suffering from the legacy of James Earl Carter, thanks to the conservatives who refused to follow Ronald Reagan's example and instead sulked at home while the nation was being handed over to the worst president in American history.
We were still in the middle of the Cold War in those days, and by staying home conservatives risked losing that war by allowing an incompetent leader to become commander in chief.
Four years later Ronald Reagan took over, the hostages were immediately released, and he went on to win the Cold War. Now we have another world-wide war going on with a hidden enemy sworn to kill us all, and the policy of the Democrats running for the presidency is to throw up their hands and withdraw from the battlefield, leaving it to the enemy -- and our fate in the hands of Osama bin Laden.
Is that what the let's-stay-home-on-election-day conservatives want? Do they want the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama, as their president? Do they want the pseudo-Marist Barack Obama -- who reportedly has a photo of the murderous Castroite thug Che Guevara hanging in his Houston, Texas campaign headquarters -- hanging that photo in the Oval Office?
Do they want Hillary Clinton, the duplicitous former first lady, back in the White House enjoying all those furnishings she and her husband tried to swipe from the mansion?
Do they want a Democrat spending even more money that the government doesn't have on scores of programs right out of Karl Marx's playbook?
That's exactly what they'll get if they sit out the election and stay home on Election Day. That's called biting off your nose to spite your face. Or even more to the point, political suicide.
Let me say this. There has been plenty of battling in the primaries, and I've been in the middle of the battle, but until now haven't committed myself to any candidate, waiting until we had a nominee.
That's over.
If John McCain is the nominee of the party, this Reagan will happily campaign with him. The alternative is unthinkable to anyone who loves this nation.
...................................................
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of Ronald Reagan, is heard daily by over 5 million listeners via his nationally syndicated talk radio program, “The Michael Reagan Show.”
Copyright © 2006 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.
McCain's bid is built upon RINOs, moderates, independants, and sputtering support from DefCons, built largely of support in blue state open primaries. He as barely won any red states at all. There is no way he will overcome "conservative defections".
I appreciate your comment. While conservatism has more exposure and acceptance than in 1980, even the most conservative candidate cannot win without appealing to Reagan Democrats and independents.
Actually, I think I’ll cry in a corner too. And then pray something really wacky and wonderful happens over the summer.
If Hillary is the nominee, McCain will have all the help he needs from conservatives and then some, including many, many who are now vowing never to vote for him. There is just too much Clinton hatred among the conservative base for them to stand by.
Now if Obama gets the nod, the conservatives won't turn out in this manner. Never mind that he's even more socialist than Hillary, that's beside the point. Conservatives do not have the visceral hatred for him that they have for Clinton, due to not having a history of battles with him, and they won't turn out for McCain. Then Obama gets elected, with similar or worse results as a Hillary presidency.
Hopefully it will be John McCain or we may not have the chance for clean up. Rinos will not vote for McCain. The real conservatives and republicans will; George Allen; Gary Bauer, Ted Olsen, John Bolton.
I, myself, am having a very hard time trying to reconcile voting for him. This is the most troubling election I have ever experienced...GOP really pi$$'s me off
I’m going to vote the way I want because I’m not living with the fantasy that the nutjob McCain can actually win.
That's not going to happen. There's no enthusiasm for McCain like Obama has. But if it does it just means we have to form a new conservative party and move on. We don't need to keep a partner that cheats on us. That's for Democrats.
What I can't understand is why this country has only two brands in political power. What laws support that? Other countries have many parties. The great thing about that is politicians can say what they really think, be themselves, and still get elected on occasion. With all the advances in marketing technology several new brands should be able to emerge. What is behind this two party domination? There are many Democrats that are ready to split their party as well. If we do it at the same time then it has a chance to succeed.
Seeing as how we are not going to have much choice I’ll probably have to hold my nose and follow suit. But I am going to remember those promises he made a CPAC.
If the party does not hold him to each and every one, I’m done with the pary. For me, this is the Republican Party’s last chance. They don’t get it right, I’m gone. I’ll just start voting libertarian until a viable (and truly conservative) third party comes along.
We face possible destruction of our country (an Iranian nuke in Manhatten would pretty much wipe out our economy) and many on her are going to let Obama allow this to happen because the Republican candidate is not ideal (but he will try to protect us from our mortal enemies).
How inane.
I wonder how long the state of California will suffer from the legacy of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Incidentally, why are "moderate" and independent-minded republicans never held responsible when conservative candidates are defeated in general elections?
We are in a war.
One party’s candidate will fight the war.
The other party’s candidate won’t.
If we lose this war, we are done.
You recognized that Michael was entitled to his prerogative to opine about his dad and what he would do.
Then you said "but I have too much respect for the man."
You clearly set your opinion of what President Reagan would do or not do against Michael's opinon.
I didn't insult you. If anything,it would appear that you insulted Michael Reagan.
What would RR do?
Why don’t you go ask him.
I'm not going to speak for the man when he cannot speak for himself. I do have trouble believing that the Reagan I admired in the 1980s would have stooped to supporting McCain, a man so far Left he has to look Right to see Ford. This is the same Reagan that said, "I did not leave the Democrat party, it left me."
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